According to the Health Ministry, at least six Palestinians were killed, and many others were injured in Israeli operations across the occupied West Bank overnight and this morning. Israel continues to pound the Gaza Strip, causing health facilities and humanitarian aid attempts to crumble as a result of the war. Following a cross-border raid by the enclave’s dominant Islamist group on Oct. 7, Israeli forces launched an aerial and ground assault against Hamas in Gaza. 

According to Gaza Health Ministry numbers, at least 17,177 Palestinians have been murdered since then, whereas Israeli figures show that 1,200 persons were killed in the Hamas incursion into Israel. Aid organizations warn that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is escalating by the hour, with the majority of its 2.3 million citizens homeless and imprisoned in a tight, beleaguered coastal enclave with no food, water, medical care, fuel, or secure shelter. The US blocked a UN Security Council resolution calling for an urgent ceasefire in Gaza on Friday. 

Palestinian leaders have described the US veto of a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate humanitarian ceasefire in Gaza as devastating and humiliating. The bombing of the besieged area by Israel continues, with dozens killed in southern attacks on Khan Younis. Thirteen countries voted in favor, while the United Kingdom abstained.

During the debate, the Palestinian ambassador referenced the hundreds of Palestinians dead or maimed in Israel’s assault on Gaza, saying, “enough is enough.” At the same time, Israel’s envoy claimed a truce would just prolong the war and that the only way to achieve peace was to eradicate Hamas. Israel’s military claimed it carried out strikes on roughly 450 targets in the last day, the most since a truce with Hamas expired a week ago. In addition, an Israeli flag was erected in the midst of Gaza City’s significant Palestine Square.